


Unspoken Words

by namsongdustbin



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, SlightAngst, highschoolAU, markchan, markhyuck, nct - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:09:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8451199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namsongdustbin/pseuds/namsongdustbin
Summary: The annual school dance is just around the corner, and Mark is having the hardest time of it, mainly because he was in love with his best friend, and there was no way he could ask him out without giving himself away. The unspoken words he had to say for the past years of their friendship begin to unravel gradually, until he realizes that Donghyuck has a few words to say to him too.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hi there! so here is my first try at a highschool au, with a little bit of angst (hopefully i didn't screw that up too bad). my fics are crossposted on aff under the same username, you can check them out as I prefer the formatting there! (i really don't know how to work HTML sighs) hope y'all enjoy, and do leave feedback/comments, they will make my day! (: thanku

**D-30**

Mark craned his neck over the clamouring and chattering crowd, who were evidently excited by something pasted on the school’s main noticeboard. Girls were squealing and clutching one another, giggling louder than usual, and boys were nudging one another - painfully - in their ribs while pointing to the notice. 

Mark sighed. Even the above average height of 1.74 metres plus tiptoeing could not help him catch a glimpse of the poster amongst the excited crowd. He spotted Jaemin coming his way and gestured to the noticeboard with a jerk of his head. 

Chuckling, Jaemin clapped Mark on his shoulder.

“It’s about the end of year school dance. It’s in about a month, so you better have a few candidates in mind, before the good ones are taken,” Jaemin explained, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Or… maybe just get down to asking _someone_ ,” he suggested, with a hint of laughter in his voice, his immaculate eyebrows threatening to disappear into his halo of brown hair. 

Mark elbowed Jaemin hard in the ribs - just like the other boys had - and rolled his eyes. 

“You’re full of shit, Jaemin, I’m not gonna ask Hyuck anything, “ he snorted derisively and attempted to pull a casual face, in spite of his hammering heart. 

“Who ever mentioned anything about Donghyuck?” Jaemin burst into laugher, winking at Mark, clapped him on the shoulder again and left the hallway, leaving Mark in a trainwreck of thoughts running through his mind. 

_Why was his heart beating so hard?_ Why was it at Jaemin’s very suggestion at the word “ _someone_ ”, Mark’s thoughts had gone directly towards the image of a bright and noisy boy, with reddish brown hair, sun-kissed skin, whose his eyes sparkled with mischief every time he spoke to tease somebody (usually Mark), whose unconventional beauty seemed to render Mark retort-less all the time? Mark shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and quickly made his way to English class, where he was overdue by five minutes. 

Mark had a secret. Well, a secret he _thinks_ only he is in knowledge of, although his actions had pretty much revealed it to his close friends since day one. Except him. His _best friend_ . 

Mark had a crush on his best friend of many years, Lee Donghyuck. There was no way around it, no way he can escape it, except for resigning himself to the fact that the chances of Donghyuck ever reciprocating his feelings were incredibly slim, akin to the chances of Donald Trump realizing what a bigot he is and removing himself from the presidential elections. In other words, almost impossible. Almost.

Mark himself had no idea when his feelings towards Donghyuck had changed, it just happened one day, when he started seeing his friend in a completely different light; unable to retort back when Donghyuck made a comment about how his hair looked, or thinking to himself how _adorable_ he looked with whipped cream smeared around his heart-shaped lips during one of their routinely after school ice cream ‘dates’ - instead of calling him a pig or taking a picture as blackmail material like Mark usually would. Mark guessed that maybe it was because they had spent almost every breathing moment together - at school, during lunch, hanging out after school together, staying up together until the wee hours of the morning during their regular sleepovers - practically growing up with each another. 

“It’s natural,” declared Johnny - the self proclaimed expert on dating and relationships - “You spend almost every waking - and sleeping moments together, gradually it will turn into love. Just like in the movies. Look at Ron and Hermione.”

But this was not a movie, nor a fairytale, it was real life. The chances of Donghyuck loving Mark back the same way was almost negligible, hence forcing Mark to throw any thoughts of that out of the window, and focusing on how best to keep his feelings hidden from him. 

Oh boy, did that fail miserably. 

**D-25**

“So, who do you have in mind to ask to the dance?” Donghyuck asked brightly, bouncing a little on Mark’s bed, after uninvitingly leaping on it upon seeing an unsuspecting Mark sprawled on the covers, staring at the ceiling. 

Mark jerked his head away instinctively, sensing that Donghyuck’s knees were dangerously close to his head. The number of times Donghyuck’s parkour attempts to leap onto Mark as he lay down on his bed had resulted in a few minor injuries for the latter, most of them usually involving his head. 

“Uhh… no one as for now. I kind of forgot about the whole dance thing,” Mark lied through his teeth, averting his eyes under Donghyuck’s piercing gaze. Jaehyun had always told Mark how his emotions could be read like a book and that _“the eyes are a window to one’s heart”_ , as he so dramatically put it, thus Mark simply had to avoid that kind of situation with Donghyuck. 

“Who are you going to ask though?” Mark questioned hastily, willingly averting the topic away from himself. 

“I dunno… can’t think of anyone I would like to go with, but…” Donghyuck trailed off, dropping his gaze from Mark. _Weird_ , Mark thought to himself. 

“But? Ey, don’t tell me you have a secret crush that you’re hiding from me! Go on, spill,” Mark egged on, the facade of his mischievous grin hiding the whirlwind of emotions in his chest, willing Donghyuck _not_ to tell him something he did not want to hear. 

“Shut up, it’s nothing like that!” the younger scoffed, smacking Mark’s arm. Mark couldn’t help but notice the deepening colour of his already rosy cheeks, rising all the way up to his ears. Mark peered into Donghyuck’s face, who seemed to be at a loss for words for once. 

“Anyway,” Donghyuck continued quickly, to cover up for the awkward silence that began to permeate the room, “I was thinking that if we both ended up partnerless - unlikely, since you and I are such hot stuff - we should go together. So that we don’t look, you know, stupid,” he finished hastily, flashing one of his bright grins at Mark’s direction. 

“Ah, sure. Just hit me up whenever you realize no one wants to go with you,” Mark shrugged casually, earning another painful smack on his arm. Mark grinned at his best friend, his heart aching with emotions he would never allow the latter to catch wind of. 

**D-20**

Wolf-whistles and catcalls could be heard from the jocks’ table in the cafeteria as Mark and Donghyuck passed by, earning a pointed glare and scowl from the latter. Mark rolled his eyes and his hand enclosed upon Donghyuck’s wrist protectively, and proceeded to pull him away from their vicinity before a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks. 

“Hey, pretty, you’re looking fine today,” drawled Hyungwon as he eyed Donghyuck head to toe, with a sleazy expression on his face. 

Hyungwon was one of the most popular and sought after basketball jocks, not to mention, the biggest asshole of them all. Whatever came to Donghyuck’s mind when he decided to date that _parasite_ for four months, was incomprehensible to Mark even at that point in time - to the point that Mark had to rope in all their close friends - Johnny, Jaehyun, Jaemin and Jeno, to convince Donghyuck to finally break up with him. It was not a tough decision for Mark to make, as he watched everyday with increasing disgust how Hyungwon would treat Donghyuck like a toy, a pretty accessory made just to accompany him to his games and outings with his friends. Mark endured through the many times Donghyuck was mercilessly tossed away when his ‘job’ was done, how he was treated with such little care and respect under the hands of that bigot, til many of their nights were filled with comforting an upset and sobbing Donghyuck, convincing him that he deserved to be loved and respected by anyone in the world - and that Hyungwon was too much of a self-loving jerk to see that. 

Mark had endured, and watched his best friend being mistreated that way, til the last straw came when Donghyuck burst into his room, tears spilling down his cheeks, and launching himself at a startled Mark. His body racked with uncontrollable sobs as he gripped the back of Mark’s shirt as though it was the only thing holding him together, while the elder held onto him tight, trying to coax him into telling him what was wrong. When Donghyuck finally choked out - “He tried to _touch_ me” - Mark had snapped, his protective instincts telling him that this had to end _once and for all_. 

“What do you want, _asshole_ ,” Donghyuck hissed, glowering at him. If looks could kill, Hyungwon would be seven feet in his own grave. But they didn’t, and he maintained his unaffected composure and shameless body-scanning of Donghyuck. 

“Just wondering if you’d come with me to the dance. You know, I can’t be there without _my precious_ by my side,” he declared, following a cacophony of supportive catcalls and wolf whistles by his fellow lackeys sitting by the table. 

Mark tightened his grip on Donghyuck’s shaking wrist, as the latter spat, “Fuck yourself. There’s no way in hell I’m going to the dance, or anywhere with you.” Then he turned, on his heel and stormed out of the cafeteria, leaving Mark trailing at his wake, trying to catch up to him. 

“See you there, beautiful!” Mark heard Hyungwon call after the both of them, following a chorus of appreciative laughter echoing in the cafeteria. 

Mark grabbed ahold of Donghyuck in the schoolyard, and held him close. “Don’t mind him, don’t mind him,” he muttered into the younger’s halo of reddish brown curls, as the latter breathed a sigh, resting his head on the Mark’s shoulder. 

Mark swore that if only they could stay that way forever, he would be content for the rest of his life. 

**D-10**

Mark couldn’t believe his ears. He could practically hear his heart beating furiously in his ears as a mixture of emotions - rage, fury, hurt and betrayal surged in his chest, threatening to spill out. At that moment, he caught sight of Jaemin heading towards his desk, worry and anxiety tugging at the lines of his face. 

“Mark, did you hear? Donghyuck is actually going with that fucking assh-,”

“I know! Shut up, I don’t need to hear it again,” Mark snapped, his usually cool composure crumbling into pieces. He shot to his feet and prepared to leave the classroom, only being held back by Jaemin, who was pulling him back by his arm. 

“Okay listen here - maybe you should ask him first. Maybe it isn’t true. I don’t think Hyuck would do something as stupid as that, maybe he -” Jaemin trailed off when he observed Mark’s expression darken, his eyes fixed to a point in the schoolyard. 

Jaemin turned to where Mark was looking, catching wind immediately. His face fell. There was Donghyuck and Hyungwon, out in the schoolyard. Talking to one another. Civil. Donghyuck’s back was facing the both of them, hence leaving them no clue as to what he way saying, but both got the idea soon enough. Jaemin turned to look at Mark apprehensively. 

“I think you got your answer,” Mark said pointedly, as he slung his bag over the shoulder and stormed out of the classroom, kicking a stray plastic bottle as he left. 

**D-5**

“Mark, you’re being stupid, stop moping around and just ask someone already, it can’t be that hard,” pleaded Jaehyun, his eyes fixed on a stationary lump under the sheets. 

Mark didn’t budge. Jaehyun rolled his eyes and yanked the covers off the younger’s body with a huff. Mark groaned under the contact with light, reaching to yank the covers back over his face again. Jaehyun slapped his hands away. 

Mark had been doing nothing but moping aimlessly over the past five days, never so much blinking in Donghyuck’s direction ever since. He had amounted to making up brilliant excuses to avoid him at lunch, school, ignoring the younger’s persistent texts and calls until they finally came to a halt. Gradually, the silence between the two friends built up, and frosted as the days passed, creating an unknown barrier between them. It killed Mark. Slowly. 

“Come on, it’s five days to the dance, don’t tell me you’re not going to go just because Hyuck is going with that… that… “ Jaehyun trailed off, lost for words apt enough to describe Hyungwon. 

“Anyway, it’s not like you were going to go with him, right? Unless...unless you were,” Jaehyun declared, glaring at Mark’s eyes, which were clamped shut against the glare of the room light. Mark opened one bleary eye and closed it again. He sighed. 

“Well, what can I say, Mark Lee? You truly are an idiot. Anyone can tell you are absolutely whipped for that boy, so why would it be so shocking to anyone if you actually did ask him? You just stalled, and waited for nothing, and now both of you have fucked things up for yourselves, and now, who knows if things are ever going to go back to the way they were?” Jaehyun ranted, before plopping himself beside Mark’s unmoving figure. 

Jaehyun patted the younger on his knee, and sighed, “You know, you should just go talk to him. It’s been five days. I know he misses you too.” 

“I can’t.” came the withered reply as Mark descended into another whirlwind of heartache - but now, not only because of unrequited love - but because of the crippling sadness that came with their crumbling friendship. 

He was breaking. 

And Donghyuck wasn’t there to fix him. 

**D-Day**

It was a chilly November afternoon, and Mark was lying in front of the television console, mindlessly flipping through channels without paying actual heed to what they were. His hand was buried in bowl of Doritos, the incessant munching irritating his younger brother, Jisung, so much that he snatched the bowl and dumped the contents down the trash. 

“You shouldn’t be eating ten bowls of that in a day, you’re gonna kill yourself,” he muttered as Mark just stared after him, agape. 

“Anyway, aren’t you going to the dance? I heard Jaemin and Jeno are coming to pick you up in a awhile, so why are you still on the carpet?”

Mark groaned and ran a weary hand down his face. One more mention of the word ‘dance’, and he was going to strangle whichever living being within his reach. Be it Jisung, or not. 

“I’m not going anywhere. Tell Jaemin and Jeno to forget it, I don’t even have an outfit ready. And to enjoy themselves,” he droned on emotionlessly, turning to switch through the channels again. 

The younger boy merely shook his head, completely over it with his lovesick - or rather, heartsick brother, and retreated back into his room for another round of Mario Kart with his best friend, Chenle.

 _Ding!_ _Dong!_

The shrill sound of the doorbell jolted Mark out of his reverie, and he trudged towards the door without bothering to look at the keyhole. Upon opening the door, the sight of the person before him knocked the wind of his lungs, rendering him speechless and agape for a few seconds. 

“Hyuck.” was all he could choke out, staring unbelievingly at Donghyuck, who was actually at his doorstep.

He was decked out completely in casual attire, donning a pullover and a muffler that was barely concealing his rosy cheeks, and a pair of black jeans that fit him perfectly. In his hands were, unmistakably, a picnic basket and a picnic mat. Showing no sign whatsoever of him going to the school dance, contrary to what Mark had believed. 

“Hey. Was wondering, want to go on a picnic with me? Since we’re both dateless, and presumably not going to the school dance and stuff,” said Donghyuck all casually, but his eyes pleading. 

Mark was in half a mind to either hug the mildly trembling figure before him, or slam the door in his face. He was just about to do the latter when -

“Please?” Donghyuck had pleaded, his eyes desperate, and his bottom lip bitten out of anxiety. Almost instantly, Mark’s heart had softened upon seeing his expression, which looked close to tears. He nodded curtly and grabbed his fur coat as he followed Donghyuck out into the street, the latter breathing an almost inaudible sigh of relief as he did so.

***

The awkward silence solidified between them as both boys walked beside the Han River, silently munching on the grilled cheese sandwiches Donghyuck had made. When Donghyuck suggested they sit on a nearby bench, Mark was grateful he did so, as he could not stand another moment of Donghyuck’s eyes flitting towards him nervously, but unable to articulate a single word. 

“So…” Mark prompted expectantly, choosing to focus on the sights around the river, anywhere but Donghyuck’s face. 

Donghyuck fiddled with the remnants of his sandwich, hiding his face in his muffler. Mark could almost feel the inner struggle his best friend was fighting with himself, guilt, hurt and sadness getting in the way. 

“You… you must be wondering why I brought you here. Well, I did say if either of us ended up partnerless, we would go together. As we always did with everything else. But… I decided I would much rather spend time with you in another way. Not at some silly dance. It won’t be worth either of our time,” he began slowly, as if testing the waters. Mark had not moved. 

“Partnerless?” he spat. “What do you mean? You aren’t partnerless, you were going with… with....” Mark couldn’t bring himself to say the name that brought a bitter taste to his tongue. 

Donghyuck’s eyes widened. 

“Come on _Murk_ , don’t tell me you actually fell hook, line and sinker for that rumour!” he shook his head disbelievingly, and upon seeing the startled look on Mark’s face, he burst into laugher. “You really are an idiot,” he declared, shaking his head, utterly bemused. 

“That’s what Jaehyun’s been saying,” Mark muttered under his breath.

“And he is right. That rumour about me going with Hyungwon was a stupid, baseless one, created and spread by his lackeys to cover up the fact that nobody wants to go with his idiotic, bigoted, thirsty ass,” Donghyuck rolled off his tongue, his eyes never leaving Mark’s in his effort to get him to understand. “And I was trying to get him to understand, that I, Lee Donghyuck, no matter our relationship in the past, am never going to be with his idiotic, bigoted, thirsty ass in any situation whatsoever. And that was when I saw you storming off from Jaemin. I knew you got it all wrong,” Donghyuck finally lowered his eyes, his voice wavering a little. 

Mark’s heart slowed a little. _Could it be?_ He felt a surge of hope in his chest, replacing all the rotten feelings of hurt that had accumulated the past few days. His hand, which was resting on the bench, shifted to rest on Donghyuck’s knee, squeezing it a little. Donghyuck took a deep breath and cleared his throat. 

“Anyway that wasn’t what I _really_ wanted to talk to you about,” he continued, leaving Mark stumped. Huh. What else was there?

“I wanted to tell you the real reason I even went out with that guy. It hurt me - it hurt me so much to see how hurt you were when you thought were were together again. I thought it was about time I give you a clear answer why I even got together with him in the first place - but you looked so hurt and angry I couldn’t bring myself to go up to you. I didn’t deserve your listening ears,” he gulped, twiddling his thumbs, looking anywhere but in the direction of Mark’s piercing gaze. 

“So, why did you get together with him?” he murmured, his hand unknowingly clasping over Donghyuck’s cold one, rubbing warmth into it. Donghyuck took a deep breath, and closed his eyes. 

“Because of you,” he finally let out. “It was always because of you, Mark. I could never come to terms with the fact that I… I felt something more than friendship towards you. I felt that it was so wrong that I was in love with my best friend, and I was so afraid of ruining our friendship, or that you wouldn’t accept me, so I went ahead with the dumbest decision of my life. “ he said with a grim smile. 

Mark’s words died in his throat. The weight of Donghyuck’s words crashed upon his shoulders, not being able to fully comprehend and understand what the younger had said. _Could it be?_ _This whole time?_

“I dated him to bring my thoughts away from you. I thought if I could convince myself I liked someone else, I would forget I even had feelings for you, and things would be back to normal. Boy, was I wrong. I fell in love with you even more,” the younger chuckled. “All those rough nights you helped me out of, literally being the only one there for me when no one else would… I fell even harder. I was stuck,” he finished with a sigh, his dark eyes fixated on their clasped hands on his lap. 

“I understand if you think this is ridiculous, or that our friendship will never be the same again. I just-” Donghyuck’s ramblings were cut off when he felt a pair of soft lips kiss him on the cheek. His face flooded crimson as finally, he lifted his eyes to meet Mark’s. The latter was grinning at him, his face flooded with apparent amusement, contrasting to Donghyuck’s embarrassed one. 

“You, Lee Donghyuck. _You_ truly are the idiot here,” he laughed as he wrapped his best friend in his arms in a warm embrace. Donghyuck’s anxious face broke into a relieved smile and rested his head on the crook of Mark’s shoulder, just like he used to. 

***  
The silhouettes of two lovestruck boys with intertwined hands could be seen as they walked down the river. The unspoken words they had for each another all these years had finally cleared the air between them, leaving their minds content, and their hearts filled with love.

When their lips finally met in a slow, clumsy, inexperienced kiss, Mark swore he felt a firework of emotions in his heart, as he could finally love the boy he had longed for all these years. And the best part? That boy loved him back.

**Author's Note:**

> hope y'all enjoyed it! I tried to add a bit of fluff at the end to make up for the mildly angsty parts (i think), so hope y'all liked it! do leave comments/kudos too hehe have a great day/night! (:


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